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Oil and Gas Bill Seeks to Improve Oversight, Reduce Impacts

EDF Statement from Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain Regional Director

February 28, 2019

Matt McGee, (512) 691-3478, mmcgee@edf.org

(Denver, Colo.) Legislative leadership and Gov. Polis announced major legislation today that would address several contentious oil and gas issues Coloradans have wrestled with for years, including the role of local governments in regulating industry and how to best address risks to public health and the environment posed by oil and gas operations.

“We are hopeful that this bill will start serious conversations about improving oversight of the oil and gas industry at both the state and local levels of government,” said Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain Regional Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “Colorado has been in a running battle over these issues for far too long, without environmental concerns and the needs of local communities being adequately addressed.”

“Together, we’ve made important progress, but much remains to be done. As the Trump administration continues its effort to roll back basic regulatory protections, it is all the more critical that leading states, like Colorado, increase their commitment to minimizing the impacts of oil and gas operations on communities and our air and water resources.”